18 Spanish Insults and Curses You Should Know

Few sayings are as colorful as a Spanish insult (though French and German might come close). Some read like a grocery list jammed full of eggs, asparagus, cookies, and milk. Some go after your parents—others, your intelligence. Here are a few insults and curses to help (or hinder) you on your travels.  

Peinabombillas

A compound of peinar (“to comb”) and bombillas (“light bulbs”), this insult is used to call someone “naïve” or “stupid,” as combing light bulbs is, of course, an impossible and silly activity.

Malparido/a

This insult is another compound word made by combining mal (“badly”) with parido (“given birth”). This corresponds to the English “son of a bitch” or “bastard.”

Pendejo/a

This word has been around since the 1400s and translates to “pubic hair,” a meaning it still has today—but it’s also used, mainly in Latin America, to call someone “idiot” or “coward.”    

Me cago en …

Me cago en … is one of the most versatile Spanish profanities: It translates to “I shit on …” (or, occasionally, “I shit in ... ”), and you can finish the sentence however you want. Depending on the follow-up, it can be used when you’re frustrated or angry—like “damn it” or “fucking hell”—or when you want to cuss out someone else—like “fuck you.” Some common variations are:

Barcelona football player Gerard Piqué famously got sent off the field for saying to an assistant referee, “Me cago en tu puta madre” (“I shit on your whore mother”).

Hijo de las mil putas

Just one of many Spanish insults designed to insult your mother, this translates to “son of a thousand whores,” which is a much more emphatic version of the English “son of a bitch.”

Pollas en vinagre

Translated as “dicks in vinegar” or “pickled dicks” (an image no one really wants in their head), the expression pollas en vinagre is used to call bullshit on what someone else is saying. A close English equivalent would be, “Yeah, right.”

Me importa un pepino

An adorable way of saying, “I don’t give a damn,” this phrase literally translates to “I care a cucumber.”

Que te folle un pez

Another nonsensical yet amusing insult, que te folle un pez, translates to “I hope you get fucked by a fish,” which is a very creative way to say “go fuck yourself” to someone.

Que te la pique un pollo

Similar to the phrase above, que te la pique un pollo is used to say “fuck you” or “fuck off” to someone. It literally translates to “I hope a chicken pecks it,” where the it in question is implied to mean “your dick.” Ouch.

Vete a freír espárragos

A more PG way to say “get lost” is vete a freír espárragos (“go fry asparagus”). The phrase is said to have originated in the 19th century when asparagus was typically cooked by boiling. Fried asparagus wasn’t valued in the kitchen and would have taken much longer, so it was considered a pointless activity. Another version of this is andá a freír churros (“go fry churros”).

Hostia

Hostia, which has its roots in Catholicism, means “host” or “Communion bread,” but when used as a swear, it typically means “holy shit.” A more forceful phrasing is hostia puta, which is more like “holy fuck.”

Te voy a dar una galleta

This phrase, which translates to “I’m going to give you a cookie,” might seem like a pleasant offer, but don’t be fooled—you won’t be getting a delicious baked good. It actually means, “I’m going to give you a slap.” An alternative version is te voy a dar una hostia.

Eres tan feo/a que hiciste llorar a una cebolla

Onions are well known for their ability to make people cry when they cut into them—but the phrase eres tan feo/a que hiciste llorar a una cebolla flips the script: It translates as “you’re so ugly you made an onion cry.”

Eres más feo/a que pegarle a un padre

Eres más feo/a que pegarle a un padre is another looks-based insult, but it gives the user a bit more opportunity for creativity. While it literally translates to “you are uglier than hitting your father,” it’s often followed up with extra details. Some variations involve con un calcetín sudado (“with a sweaty sock”) or en Navidad (“at Christmas”).

Más corto/a que las mangas de un chaleco

Literally translated as “shorter than the sleeves of a vest,” más corto/a que las mangas de un chaleco is used to insult someone’s intelligence, as corto (“short”) is also Spanish slang for “stupid.” The closest English equivalent to this would be the phrase as thick as two short planks.

Más tonto/a que mear contra el viento

Another option for insulting someone’s intelligence, the phrase más tonto/a que mear contra el viento translates to “stupider than pissing against the wind,” which conjures up a very messy and unpleasant image.

La concha de la lora

Predominantly used in Argentina, this expression translates to “the shell of a female parrot,” i.e., its genitals. The phrase dates back to the early 20th century when lora was also commonly used to refer to a sex worker, so the phrase can also refer to her genitalia (although it’s translated in a much more vulgar way). La concha de la lora can be used as an exasperated exclamation, like “Fuck!” or it can also be used to describe something really far away, like the English phrase ass end of nowhere.

No me toques los huevos

The literal translation of this phrase is “don’t touch my eggs,” but huevos is often used euphemistically in Spanish to refer to testicles. Therefore, this phrase is the equivalent of the English “don’t bust my balls,” used when you want someone to leave you alone. Alternative translations could be “get off my back” or “stop pissing me off.”

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